The Danish ships,, of court-men full,
Were cleared of men,,—and many a hull
Was driving empty on the main,
With the warm corpses of the slain."
Eyvind Skaldaspiller says also in the " Haleygia-tal: "
"Twas at the peep of day,—
Our brave earl led the way;
His ocean-horses bounding—
His war-horns loudly sounding!
No joyful morn arose
For Yngve Frey's base foes:[1]
These Christian island-men
Wished themselves home again."
Then the fleets came together, and one of the sharpest of conflicts began. Many fell on both sides, but the most by far on Hakon's side; for the Jomsburg vikings fought desperately, sharply, and mur¬ derously, and shot right through the shields. So many spears were thrown against Earl Hakon that his armour was altogether split asunder, and he threw it off. So says Finn Halkelson:—
"The ring-linked coat of strongest mail
Could not withstand the iron hail,
Though sewed with care and elbow bent,
By Norna[2]", on its strength intent.
The fire of battle raged round,—
Odin's steel shirt flew all unbound!
The earl his ring-mail from him flung,
Its steel rings on the wet deck rung;
Part of it fell into the sea,—
A part was kept, a proof to be
How sharp and thick the arrow-flight
Among the sea-steeds in this fight."
Chapter XLIV.
Earl Sigvald's flight.
The Jomsburg vikings had larger and higher-sided ships; and both parties fought desperately. Vagn
- ↑ The Danes, being Christians, were particularly obnoxious to the heathen Norsemen and the scald.
- ↑ Norna, one of the Fates, stands here for women, whose business it was to sew the rings of iron upon the cloth which made these ring-mail coats or shirts. Some of these may be seen in the Museum of Northern Antiquities at Copenhagen. The needles, although some of them were of gold, appear to have been without eyes, and used like shoemakers' awls.
